Giving Everything

To fully understand today’s Gospel, one should go and reread Luke 18: 18-23. The story of Zacchaeus which we hear today is to contrast that rich man who had kept all the precepts of the faith, but would not give up his possessions to follow the way Jesus was establishing.  Today we hear of Zacchaeus, a tax-collector, who had a particular interest in Jesus, just like that rich man in Luke 18.  However the difference between the two men lies in the fact that Zacchaeus was willing to give everything for Christ. 

In the eyes of the world, Zacchaeus was a sinner, a thief who charged more money than needed so he could gain from it.  He was a man who was seen as a ‘traitor’ since he worked for the Romans, who were the Jewish captors.  But we see that in order to follow Christ, Zacchaeus does just the opposite. He is willing to be selfless, to be detached from money and material possessions so that he can be attached to the author of our salvation. He was not your stereotypical tax-collector. Zacchaeus, the tax-collector and sinner left his life of worldly possessions to live a life of authenticity- a life in harmony with God.

  In detaching ourselves from the many distractions and possessions of our life, we can truly attach ourselves to Christ. In doing so, we truly place Christ at the center of our lives and we grow in our journey as disciples. However, we are called to constant conversion; a conversion that constantly places Christ at the center of our lives, a conversion which, like Zacchaeus, changes our actions, thoughts and words. Following Christ is a surrendering of our lives, to bring about HIS will, and HIS gift of Salvation. As we come to be fed through the table of the word and table of the sacrament, may we commit to fully surrender our lives to God and allow him to touch the deepest parts of our soul.

Prayer: 

O God of love, we ask you to give us love; love in our thinking, love in our speaking, love in our doing, and love in the hidden places of our souls; Love of those with whom we find it hard to bear, and love of those who find it hard to bear with us. So that at length we may be worthy to dwell with you, you who are eternal love.

AMEN